Chapter 12, Verse 6
ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्परः | अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते ||१२-६||
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya matparaḥ . ananyenaiva yogena māṃ dhyāyanta upāsate ||12-6||
Meaning
But to those who worship Me, renouncing all actions in Me, regarding Me as the supreme gaol, meditating on Me with single-minded Yoga.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Returning to His chosen theme, Krishna describes the true devotee in full. Such a person surrenders every action to Him (sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi saṃnyasya), holds Him as the highest aim (mat-paraḥ), and meditates upon Him with an undivided yoga (ananyena yogena) — a devotion that admits no second object. This verse and the next form a single thought, the climax of Krishna's answer to Arjuna.
Notice that devotion here embraces all of life: work is not abandoned but offered up; the heart's focus is single; meditation and action become one continuous act of love. This integration of karma, dhyāna, and bhakti is the practical heart of the chapter.
💡 Key Takeaway
Offer every action to God, hold Him as your highest goal, and meditate with undivided love.
Related Verses
अर्जुन उवाच | एवं सततयुक्ता ये भक्तास्त्वां पर्युपासते | ये चाप्यक्षरमव्यक्तं तेषां के योगवित्तमाः ||१२-१||
arjuna uvāca . evaṃ satatayuktā ye bhaktāstvāṃ paryupāsate . ye cāpyakṣaramavyaktaṃ teṣāṃ ke yogavittamāḥ ||12-1||
Arjuna said: Those devotees who, ever steadfast, thus worship Thee and those also who worship the imperishable and the unmanifested which of them are better versed in Yoga?
श्रीभगवानुवाच | मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते | श्रद्धया परयोपेताः ते मे युक्ततमा मताः ||१२-२||
śrībhagavānuvāca . mayyāveśya mano ye māṃ nityayuktā upāsate . śraddhayā parayopetāḥ te me yuktatamā matāḥ ||12-2||
The Blessed Lord said: Those who, fixing their mind on Me, worship Me, ever steadfast and endowed with supreme faith, are the best in Yoga in My opinion.
ये त्वक्षरमनिर्देश्यमव्यक्तं पर्युपासते | सर्वत्रगमचिन्त्यञ्च कूटस्थमचलन्ध्रुवम् ||१२-३||
ye tvakṣaramanirdeśyamavyaktaṃ paryupāsate . sarvatragamacintyañca kūṭasthamacalandhruvam ||12-3||
Those who are attached to the unmanifested and impersonal feature of the Supreme, and who do not engage in devotional service, experience a greater difficulty in attaining Me, O Arjuna.